1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to image processing apparatus and method which can search accumulated images.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 21 shows an example of an image format which has conventionally been used.
As shown in FIG. 21, an image file is divided into an image header section 211 and an image data section 212. Generally, information which is necessary when data is read out from the image file and additional information to explain the contents of an image are stored in the image header section 211. In the example of FIG. 21, information such as image format identifier showing an image format name, file size, width, height, and depth of the image, presence/absence of compression, information of a color palette, resolution, offset of the image data to a storing position, and the like is stored.
The image data section 212 is a portion where image data has sequentially been stored. As a typical example of such an image format, a BMP format of Microsoft Co., Ltd., a GIF format of Compuserve Co., Ltd., or the like is widely spread.
In case of preserving the image files into a database and searching and using it, hitherto, a key word and an explanation sentence of a language base have been made correspond to one image. That is, in an example of FIG. 5, key words of xe2x80x9cSky, Sea, Sun, Yacht, Male, Femalexe2x80x9d are allocated to one image. A data table showing a correspondence between the image and the key words are shown in FIG. 14. For example, when the user inputs the word xe2x80x9cyachtxe2x80x9d as a search word, this image is obtained as a result in which the key word coincides.
In the conventional example, even if a plurality of persons, objects, and regions of different characteristics exist in an image, only a process such that all of the allocated key words are handled as attribute information for one image can be performed. Therefore, it is used as a search result irrespective of the position in the image where the contents corresponding to the key word exist.
Consequently, for example, when xe2x80x9capple existing at the centerxe2x80x9d is given as a search word, among the key words corresponding to the image, all of the key words including xe2x80x9capplexe2x80x9d are derived as a search result and an image in which xe2x80x9capplexe2x80x9d is shown at the corner of the screen is also searched. Thus, it is impossible to perform the search according to the contents of the given search word.
When the image extracted as a result of the key word search is displayed, it is necessary to display the whole image irrespective of the position in the image where the contents corresponding to the key word exist. It takes very long time to display the image in dependence on an image size.
For one kind of image, attribute information can be handled only for one image. Even when displaying an image of low resolution, the result of the search on the basis of the attribute information of the original image is merely displayed at low resolution. There is a problem such that it takes time until a display from the search, a desired image is dropped out from the search, or the like.
In the conventional example, even in the case where one image has images of a plurality of resolutions, attribute information such as key word, image characteristic amount, or the like can be handled only as attribute information for one image.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus for dividing image data into a plurality of areas and allocating attribute information to each of the divided areas.